Chapter 23
Tristan
Ifucked up.
Not like in a small way either. No, I really fucked up.
Not only did I leave Sadie at camp a day early—for the record, she didn’t need me, so it’s not like I skipped out on my kid—but I left and came here.
Why?
Because Suzanne was competing, and my sister mentioned it, which meant that Lark would be here.
Why is this a big fuckup? Because I came here for her.
Then I fucked her in a horse stall like a damn animal.
Although she seemed to like it, based on the fact that she bit my hand as her orgasm peaked.
“We just…had sex…in a freaking stall at the damn rodeo,” Lark says, as she’s fixing her skirt, which is now sideways.
I clear my throat. “Are you okay?”
She laughs once, sitting on the hay bale beside her. “I am. A little mortified, and also grateful no one walked in. You?”
“Much better now,” I admit.
Definitely took the edge off.
She smiles and shakes her head. “So you’re back early?”
Yeah, I also screwed up by telling her I missed her, but I’m going to do my best to gloss over that and pretend it didn’t happen.
Safer ground is about Sadie.
“I am. Sadie did great. She had a friend at the camp that she didn’t know was going to be there. She was convinced she was the only girl in the world not going to a horse camp.”
Lark runs her fingers through her hair, pulling out a few strands of straw. “That’s good then.” She stands, turning. “Do I have anything on me?”
I let my eyes roam her body, remembering how good she felt as I was driving inside her. I clear my throat. “No.”
“So, Sadie is settled?”
“She is. After the first night she texted me that I could leave, that she wouldn’t be needing me, and she’d see me in a few weeks, when I would pay for my decisions—because even though she’s not completely angry about this camp, she’s still upset.”
“Will you now?”
I nod, grinning at Lark. “I will. Most definitely. Twelve-year-old girls are quite terrifying.”
“Oh, don’t I know it. Although I think we’re pretty devious at any age. Especially if we’re scorned. Seems that Sadie is in that camp of women.”
My daughter is truly one of the sweetest kids in the world, but she has a lot of me in her, and that’s truly the scary part.
While I wasn’t an asshole growing up, my parents had their hands full. I was the only boy. The oldest and surrounded by females who used me in their schemes. My mother also loved me and thought I did no wrong, so I got away with everything.
My sisters did not.
“She’ll forgive me by the week’s end,” I say, hoping it’s true.
“And if she doesn’t?”
“I’ll send in the big guns.”
Lark stands, brushing the hay off her. “Oh?”
“My dad. He can get her to do just about anything.”
“And who can get you to bend to their whim?” she asks, her green eyes filled with mischief.
I take a step toward her, and she hooks her fingers in my belt loops and pulls me close.
I grin. “No one. I march to the beat of my own drum.”
She smiles up at me. “I’ll learn your weakness, Tristan Stone, and then you should be really scared.”
She’s my weakness right now.
Hence the fact that the second I laid eyes on her, I had to have her.
Which is a really bad thing.
“I don’t have any,” I lie.
Her hand moves to my chest. “Sure you don’t.” She pats me. “I should go. If Suzanne realizes I’m not in my seat, she’ll come looking for me.” Lark lifts up on her toes, kissing me softly. “See you tonight?”
I snake my arm around her waist, hoisting her up so we’re face-to-face. “Bring snacks. You’re going to need your energy.”
Her eyes brighten as her smile grows. “I look forward to it, Ben Thrustin.”
“See you later, Jenna Talia.”
I kiss her briefly and duck out of the stall before anyone sees me.
“Where the hell did you go?” Jimmy asks as we’re walking to get a beer.
“Huh?” I play dumb.
“You disappeared. I saw you talking to Holcomb, and then next thing I knew, you were gone.”
Sometimes I’m grateful for Jimmy’s inability to put two and two together. After my quick and gratifying sexual encounter, I walked around, hoping that it would appear like I was just aimlessly strolling.
What I was doing was working to think about anything other than the fun I plan to have tonight with Lark.
And then I tried to remember why this entire thing with Lark is a bad idea and that I should stop thinking about her—but that’s impossible.
So I just kept walking until finally stumbling into Jimmy and a few guys we knew back in the day.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I talked to Holcomb and met you back here.”
“Yeah, but you were in the back and then…never mind,” he says with a sigh when we get to the front of the line. “Two beers.”
Jimmy pays for the drinks—the asshole owes me for the constant harassment and idle threats of arrest. He hands me one, looks around, and then groans.
“What?”
He tilts his bottle toward a group of people. “That’s what.”
I look over and see Suzanne, Lark, and two other girls from high school. I just saw her, and yet it feels like it’s the first time. She looks so beautiful, freshly fucked and smiling as the people around her talk.
Her eyes meet mine for half a second, and her cheeks redden before she looks back at the group.
I wonder whether she’s thinking about where we were just a few minutes ago. What we were doing. The sounds she made, the way I took her rough in a damn horse stall.
All of it has been like a loop in my mind, one that I’m happy to let keep going around.
“Let’s go back to our seats. Maybe they won’t see us.”
“Officer Langston, as I live and breathe!” Suzanne calls to him, waving. “Don’t you look sexy without that uniform on.”
He rolls his eyes. “Hello, Suzanne.”
She grins, looping arms with Lark and the other barrel racer. “I was hoping I’d get to see you. I wanted to thank you for driving me home the other day. It really meant a lot to me.”
Jimmy nods. “It’s my job.”
“You were off duty.”
“You were, Jim. I mean, you really went above and beyond,” I add, backing Suzanne up.
He glances at me. “Yes, I did, and if I recall…you did too.”
I shrug. “I was just being neighborly.”
Suzanne snorts. “Please, the two of you are anything but neighborly.”
I look at her, controlling my face so as not to give away the tinge of fear there.
We agreed no one would know, but I also realize these girls like to gossip.
My sisters are the freaking worst. They all think they keep secrets until they tell each other, and they already know. It’s why I don’t tell them shit.
Lark only has brothers, though. They’re not smart enough to trade secrets.
“What the hell does that mean?” Lark asks. “We are perfectly civil, aren’t we, Tristan?”
We’re something, all right.
Civil and naked when we’re together.
“Sure we are.”
Jimmy scoffs. “Civil my ass.” He sort of hit the nail on the head there. “You two are causing me more headaches than anything with your nonstop pranks and bullshit.”
“I think you mean Lark is. I’m not doing a damn thing,” I defend myself.
“Says you,” Lark taunts.
I stare into those green eyes that just a few minutes ago were filled with lust. “Yes, says me and everyone else. The only people saying I am doing anything are you and your brothers.”
Lark grins. “And Daddy.”
I huff. “Yes, all very unbiased sources.”
“Children, children, while this is entertaining and all, we have things to do tonight,” Suzanne cuts in. “Unless you guys want me to get a mud pit? You can fight it out there.”
Now that is an image that I would love to see—Lark all wet, muddy, clothes clinging to her perfect body as she tries to fight through it.
Yeah, whatever, I’m a guy.
“Please, like Tristan could take me.”
Verbal sparring with Lark is the one thing that I enjoy almost as much as the sex. I take a step closer. “We could always find an empty stall and fight there.”
Her eyes widen for a heartbeat before she recovers. “I don’t roll around in the hay with animals.”
Suzanne’s eyes go to me, and I grin as I look back at Lark. “You wouldn’t know how to handle a bull, sweetheart.”
“Funny, I only see an ass here.”
She’s so going to get spanked for that comment.
I look around and then back to her. “You really shouldn’t talk about Jimmy that way when your family is needing him.”
Lark grins. “I was talking about you.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think you were.”
“Think whatever you need to, but I promise, I was.”
“And on that note,” Jimmy cuts in, “we’re going to watch the rodeo. You ladies have a great night.” He looks to Suzanne. “Good luck, kick ass. We can’t wait to see you win again.”
“Bye, boys,” Suzanne says, waving the tips of her fingers at us before turning to walk away.
I watch her go and then, like the ass she said I am, I call her name: “Lark?”
She turns, her eyes wide in surprise. “Yeah?”
“You have some hay in your hair.”
She lifts her hand, pulling out a piece of straw and huffing. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
And only we know exactly why she has it there.